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Larry Sultan’s masterworks. My cinematographer David Bolen and I drew so much from both of these books, not just stylistically but also from Sultan’s process of “riffing off of reality.” These two books informed the look of our film, encouraging us to dig deeper and find the proper visual language that reflected our Utopian setting. We wanted the film to look somewhere between a Sultan photo and the Technicolor sheen in a Douglas Sirk Melodrama.
Feb 11, 2021
Related Recs
Much in the same way Edward Hopper explored solitude and banality in industrialized America, Stephen Shore sought many of those same themes irl, taking interest in familiar locations like gas stations or motel swimming pools.
Shore shot a lot of his work (most notably his book Uncommon Places) on road trips across the United States, and would meticulously journal his activities as he progressed from East to West. Reading about what Shore had for breakfast and what the room he watched television in looked like the morning he took photos like the one below is really enjoyable, particularly when his activities feel almost as antiquated as the parking lots of wing-tipped Cadillacs he photographs.
His photos ultimately reveal an extreme technical proficiency and mastery of composition, which allows us to look at extinct moments with full lucidity.
Dec 9, 2024
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I love these photos of Beverly Hills in the 80’s. Photography has always inspired. When I go to a museum I gravitate towards the photography section, more so than the other mediums. There’s something about freeing a moment in time that I could just stare at endlessly.
Feb 25, 2025
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This is a book of interviews with 12 pioneering artists who create photo books. It’s a long discussion about two of my deepest passions: photography and bookmaking. I found it because of the curator David Campany, and it is a must have for those who take their photography seriously. The most visceral interview is with the photographer Larry Clark, who talks about getting sued by the grandparents of a baby he photographed, leaving out pictures of sawed off shot guns, and his commitment to never making his friends look bad. There’s a lot of passages about book design, a range of photography styles, and the meaning of success. This book is a gold mine of insight, and I carry it with me like a bible.
Nov 15, 2022
Top Recs from @lance-oppenheim
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My favorite Todd tune. Hauntingly cinematic. This was a big reference for us on our score. We attempted to combine elements of Todd’s psychedelic breakdowns with exotica and romantic noirs (Nelson Riddle and Hermann) to capture the mental and emotional landscapes of our subjects. This song felt that way for us. Something that felt more like a dreamscape.
Feb 11, 2021
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Todd Haynes’ SAFE is one of the best films of the nineties, and it’s a film we referenced a lot during our time on SOME KIND OF HEAVEN for its visual language. Julianne Moore plays Carol, a LA homemaker who inexplicably becomes ill with what seems to be a chronic and extreme aversion to her environment. When mainstream medicine offers no answers, she has to search elsewhere for help. The movie plays as a horror film where the only villains are Carol’s environment and frail body. The movie is engrossing and enigmatic, refusing easy answers and tidy resolutions. And lord knows, it’s become far more relevant today.
Feb 11, 2021
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My favorite Nicholas Ray movie. A Proto-Lynchian descent into madness that picks apart the American dream. I love how subjective the film becomes, as we get closer and closer to a completely unhinged James Mason. A true portrait of a disintegrating man.
Feb 11, 2021